About Us

OUR PURPOSE:

To increase the Common Wealth of Communities by Bringing Together and Focusing the Energy and Talent of the Community, to Generate Opportunities and Celebrate existing Value.

Christine McDougall

Co-founder – Big Blue Sky

Lou McGregor

Co-founder – Big Blue Sky

Several years ago, Co-founder Christine McDougall decided that she was no longer going to be a passive “sitting on the couch” complainer about what was not working at the local, national and global level, that she instead needed to step into the arena and do things that would make a difference.

But what to do that was not business as usual, and not politics?

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Gold Coast, Co-founder Lou McGregor was wondering how to shine a light on the amazing talent of people who existed below the radar on the Gold Coast, and just how we could both shine a light on these people and at the same time change the national and global perception and narrative of the Gold Coast to one of innovation, intelligence and our precious loved lifestyle.

Lou and Christine met for the first time in May 2015, and Big Blue Sky was born.

We set out to hold a world class event that would attract smart, innovative entrepreneurs and Gold Coast citizens, leaders and future leaders to an event to co-create Moonshot type projects that would forward the future of our city.

November 5th, 2015, we did just that, when about 170 people came together for a day and a half to be challenged, provoked and inspired. This was created entirely by an extraordinary team of volunteers. Several projects were born and several more are in development as a direct result of this inaugural event.

As the central DNA of Big Blue Sky emerged over this last year, we have recognised that we have a very unique opportunity to create the convening and co-ordinating platform for citizens to come together to co-create Moonshot projects, becoming the shapeshifting, fast moving, innovative interface between community and local and state government. We recognise that globally there is an increasing divide between the voice of citizens and community and the local and state government, not because people in government do not care…quite the contrary, we have found they care very much, but because the design of government is not conducive to meet the need for fast paced, innovative, entrepreneurial projects and actions that cities and communities need in a very fast changing world.

We propose instead a citizen driven initiative at the intersection of government, business and community that partners with local, state and national government. Big Blue Sky is this prototype in action, highly entrepreneurial, therefore evolving day to day as we figure out how to do this.

Part of our model is not-for-profit, part of our model is commercial, entirely all of our model is about how to co-create vibrant communities where the art of citizenship and living democracy as an act flourishes, where we consider alternate methods of capital raising and funding, circular type economies, and the desperate need for advanced and innovative ways to fund infrastructure, manage energy, health care, education, and provide services to citizens that elevates the entire city.

Every business person passionate about the Gold Coast missed out if they were not at this event.

- Chris Hogan, Owner Me Media

I wanted to say how great Big Blue Sky was, and express my gratitude to be a part of such a spectacular and human gathering. I felt so intellectually invigorated… and am in absolute awe of your ability to gracefully bring so many wonderful minds together, and cultivate a true sense of possibility in this world. What an absolute gift, and I really look forward to hearing more about what will come about.

I cannot stop thinking about the event. It was elegant and powerful… what I loved the most was all the kids coming at me at the end!

- Julio De Le’fitto, Founder The Unstoppables

We do things differently. Check out the Big Blue Sky Trust manifesto, which will give you an insight into how a group of diverse people, all unknown to each other prior to the Big Blue Sky event 2015, came together, co-created an epic event all without a single human upset and entirely self managed.